Foothill
College Astronomy Instructor Andrew Fraknoi is one of four community
colleges teachers to be named recipient of the 2009 Hayward Award
for Excellence in Education by the California Community College
Board of Governors. The four faculty members were selected from
across the state for their commitment to professional excellence
in their fields as well as their contributions to their community.

In
honor of former state chancellor Gerald C. Hayward, the award honors
community college faculty members who demonstrate the highest level
of commitment to their students, college and profession. Recipients
are nominated by their local peers and selected as winners by representatives
of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. In addition
to excellence in teaching, they must have a record of outstanding
performance in professional activities as well as a record of active
participation on campus.

Fraknoi
has spent his career improving the accessibility of astronomy to
students and community members being served by Foothill College
in Los Altos Hills. A resident of San Francisco, he is known for
his skill in interpreting astronomical discoveries and ideas in
everyday language. In 2008, he was awarded the prestigious American
Institute of Physics Andrew Gemant Award. He was selected as California
Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement
of Teaching in 2007. Fraknoi's Physics for Poets: Everything
You Wanted to Know about Einstein but Were Afraid to Ask course
received the 2005 Innovation of the Year Award from the League for
Innovation in the Community College.

"I
am honored and grateful for this award," Fraknoi said. "My
mission in life has been to share a cosmic perspective and my love
of the scientific method with students for whom science has been
a challenge.

"Many
august scientific societies have made official statements on the
challenges to our modern understanding of science. But such statements
mean nothing to the average student. It's up to those of us in the
trenches of modern education--and there are few trenches as full
of the nitty gritty of real life as the community colleges--to show
students the real power of critical thinking, of evidence-based
judgment, and of the skeptical use of their rational minds. This
is the challenge I relish every quarter I teach. I thank Foothill
College very much for giving me the privilege of teaching there
and I thank all of you for recognizing the value in that teaching,"
Fraknoi said.

Foothill
students praise Fraknoi's ability to translate difficult concepts
into entertaining and conceptually relevant instruction. "You
are one of the best teachers I have found in all of my scholastic
studies," said Robin Forsberg of Fraknoi. "You share your
knowledge, rather than show it off. You provide us with an opportunity
to understand and enjoy. You are providing a great service to your
students, Foothill College, and the community."

"I
believe that an understanding of our place in the wider universe
and the methods of science are part of the birthright of everyone
living on our planet," Fraknoi said. "Yet, the way science
is taught in this country can often discourage non-science majors
from taking a lifelong interest--or even a course-long interest--in
science. My philosophy is to show students that science is engaging,
human, and part of our cultural heritage. An example of this is
the interdisciplinary Physics for Poets class I have developed,
where I discuss and get students involved with Einstein's work using
analogies, demonstrations, cartoons, and examples from the student's
own experiences, without using an excess of mathematics. Once they
internalize the concepts, we read stories and a novel that are illuminated
by an understanding of the science--and even play music inspired
by Einstein's work."

Fraknoi
does everything he can to make his classes fun, including using
visuals, reading poems, recommending science fiction stories, and
even doing a moon-revolution or pulsar-beam dance in front of the
class.

"I
try to communicate science in everyday language, drawing the students
in, instead of pushing them away," Fraknoi said. "My astronomy
courses stress the larger themes of the vast scales of space and
time, varieties of nature, and intricate beauty of the subatomic
world. I spend time in each class talking about the history of women
and minorities in science, and showing what a waste it is to exclude
anyone from the pleasure of science. I am so delighted when students
who have not succeeded in science before tell me that, for the first
time, they 'get it' and understand why people are excited about
science."

"I
can't tell you how fascinating it was for me to have had the opportunity
to learn about stars, galaxies, and the universe from you,"
said former Foothill student Cathy Stepanek of Fraknoi. "Your
excitement about the topic is contagious. Thank you for inviting
questions and for your clear and thorough explanations. Your humor,
knowledge, and the historical, cultural, and musical references
were very much appreciated. I am now in awe of this universe and
our ability to understand it. It is a privilege to have been your
student."

Fraknoi
credits his success to the numerous great teachers he himself learned
from throughout his career. In fact, he feels so strongly about
providing a forum for experienced instructors to share their approaches
with colleagues who are new to the field that he developed the Cosmos
in the Classroom Symposia, a series of workshops on new ways of
teaching introductory astronomy. The first symposium began in 1996,
with just a California group of instructors. It has steadily expanded
and now meets every three years. The group's last meeting in 2007
brought together nearly 200 instructors from around the country
for three days of hands-on workshops and networking. To defray costs,
Fraknoi obtained NASA grants for scholarships, so that part-time
instructors and those from colleges that serve significant numbers
of minority students, but have no travel funding, could also attend.
"Every good teacher of astronomy can touch the lives of so
many thousands of students over the years and nurturing a new generation
of good teachers is something that is very much worth our best efforts,"
he said.

Ten
years ago, Fraknoi founded the Silicon Valley Astronomy Lecture
Series, which has grown to be one of the most popular events at
Foothill College in Los Altos Hills. For many of these free lectures,
Foothill's 900-seat theater is filled to overflow capacity with
crowds eager to hear current developments in astronomy from world-renowned
scientists. The slate of impressive guest lecturers who have presented
at Foothill College include the first woman in history to discover
a planet, a U.S. astronaut, a winner of the Nobel Prize in physics,
and the discoverer of the dwarf planet beyond Pluto.

Radio
listeners know Fraknoi as a frequent guest on local and national
news and talk programs. In Northern California, he currently appears
on the Gil Gross Show on KGO Newstalk AM 810, and was a regular
on the Jim Eason Show and Pete Wilson Show on the
same station. He has also been a regular guest on Forum with
Michael Krasny on KQED, and is the astronomer-in-residence on
the syndicated Los Angeles-based Mark & Brian Show. Nationally,
he has been heard on Science Friday and Weekend All Things
Considered on National Public Radio.

A
prolific author, Fraknoi co-edited The Planets and The
Universe, two collections of science articles and science fiction
stories for Bantam Books in the 1980s. His children's book on astronomy,
Wonderful World of Space, was published by Disney in 2007,
and features astronomy puns using Disney and Pixar film characters.

The
four Hayward Award recipients, each from different areas of the
state, are selected and honored annually at the March board of governors'
meeting. The candidates are evaluated on their commitment to education;
serving students; community colleges, including support for open
access and helping students succeed; serving the institution through
participation in professional and/or student activities; and serving
as a representative of the profession beyond the local institution.
A $1,250 cash award and plaque is presented to each recipient. In
addition to Fraknoi, the 2009 award recipients are Shasta College
Vocal & Choral Music Instructor Elizabeth Waterbury, Antelope
Valley College Physics Instructor Christos Valiotis, and Golden
West College Counselor Stephanie Dumont.

The
Academic Senate for California Community Colleges is a nonprofit
professional organization for the faculty of 110 California community
colleges. It serves 60,000 faculty members throughout the state
who impact millions of students annually. For more information,
access www.asccc.org.